


Hotel Lotus

by LadyWallace



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Brainwashing, Case Fic, Cults, Drugging, Gen, Horror, Mythology - Freeform, SPN CanonBigBang 2020, Suspence, Team Free Will, Whump, essentially it's just the Winchesters at the Hotel California, gen - Freeform, strange happenings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyWallace/pseuds/LadyWallace
Summary: Driving through the night on a lonely desert highway, an exhausted Team Free Will stops at the only hotel for a hundred miles. Little did they know that it could be their final stop.
Relationships: Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester & Castiel
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49
Collections: Supernatural Canon BigBang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission for the SPN CanonBigBang on Tumblr this year (my first year doing a BigBang actually). So you get the whole story in one day! I hope you all enjoy it, I've been waiting a long time to share this one ^_^
> 
> Art by: dmsilvisart (https://dmsilvisart.tumblr.com)
> 
> (Also, thanks to Aini NuFire for beta reading this for me ^_^)

The night was dark. It was a new moon, and the only light was from the stars and the Impala's headlights cutting across the asphalt under the tires.

Dean kept one hand on the wheel, the other pressed lightly against his bruised ribs as he slumped in the driver's seat. They were on their way back to the bunker after a nasty hunt in California where they'd taken out a pack of practically feral werewolves who had not gone down easily. Even Cas hadn't gotten out unscathed.

Dean angled his face toward the open window, letting the cool air caress his skin, hoping it might wake him up a little, before slapping his own cheek.

Sam shifted, pulling himself up from his own slumped position against the door. "We should find somewhere to stop," he said. "You're exhausted."

Dean snorted, motioning to the empty road ahead of them. "Where are we gonna find a place out here? We're in the middle of fricken' nowhere."

"Then let me drive for a while, or Cas," Sam urged.

Dean glanced at the angel in the backseat, narrowing his eyes. "Okay, first of all, Cas is not driving my car." The angel made a grunting sound in the back of his throat. "And second, you're no less tired than I am," Dean reminded his brother.

Sam sighed and ran a hand over his face, wincing as he pressed against several cuts. "Yeah, I know."

Dean sighed as he stared ahead, watching the darkness ahead of them. It really was pitch black outside of the range of the headlights, even though he had his brights on.

Then something flickered in the distance and he blinked, reaching up to rub his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. He was certainly tired enough.

But, no…there was definitely something there, a light in the distance that they were approaching on the road.

"Sam, Cas," he said, reaching over to nudge his brother who was already on his way to falling asleep.

"What?" Sam asked, starting.

Dean pointed. "Are you seeing that?"

Cas leaned forward from the backseat. "It looks like some sort of building up ahead."

"Probably a truck-stop or something," Sam said.

"Great," Dean sighed in relief. "If it is, we can park there and rest—maybe they even have a twenty-four-hour diner."

All three of them perked up at the thought of being able to find some place to rest for the night—even if it meant the three of them would somehow have to find a way to sleep in the Impala.

Dean thought luck was shining on them as they drove closer, and he saw it wasn't a truck-stop after all, but an actual hotel, and one that looked pretty nice too.

"Oh, jackpot," Dean said with a grin as he pulled off the road.

Sam frowned. "Isn't it a little strange for there to be a big hotel like this out in the middle of nowhere?"

Dean gave him a long-suffering look. "Really? You're gonna look a gift horse in the mouth here?"

"No, it's just the last time we found a random hotel, it didn't exactly go that great," Sam reminded his brother.

"We're not _that_ far from the next town," Cas supplied. "Though I do agree with Sam that it is a little odd."

"Well, you two are welcome to sleep in the car, but I'm going to enjoy a real bed and a hot shower," Dean told them as he pulled up to the circular driveway under the awning that led to the front office.

Dean was shocked to see that there was a woman standing in the doorway, placing a lantern above the door and smiling as Dean stared through the windshield at her.

"Wow, nice welcoming committee," Sam said blandly.

Dean shot him a look and opened his door. "You two stay here, I'll go get us a room."

He found himself feeling slightly subconscious about the blood on his jacket, and quickly shucked it before he went inside, feeling the cool desert night air cause a shiver to go down his spine. This place was way nicer than the dumps they usually stayed in.

He opened the door the woman had disappeared into and saw her behind the front desk.

"Welcome," she said. She was, Dean noticed instantly, gorgeous. She looked maybe like she might have been of Mexican or even Mediterranean descent as she had tanned skin and long dark, straight hair. On top of that, she was rather…well endowed, Dean noticed appreciatively. She was wearing a comfortable sun dress which was simple but looked good with her filling it out.

She smiled almost knowingly and Dean suddenly realized that he wasn't talking, just staring. He shook himself and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, long drive."

"It's understandable," she said. "Most of our guests have traveled a long way. That's why we make it a point to provide as many comforts as possible."

"Well," Dean said with a grin. "I will not say no to that. We were just surprised to find this place all the way out here in the middle of nowhere."

She smiled again and reached out to open the book lying on the desk. "Sign in, if you please. How many rooms do you need?"

"One is fine, a suite with a couch if you have it," Dean said.

"Oh, we only have singles, but I will give you three for the same price," she told him.

Dean blinked. "Well, okay, that's even better."

He took the pen up and signed in for him, Sam, and Cas, and she took the book almost reverently with a smile and put it behind the desk again before taking his credit card.

"Here are your room keys," she said, handing him three keys. "The maids will have your rooms ready in only a few moments. You'll have time to park and unpack."

"Thanks," Dean said and headed back out to the Impala, and his waiting companions.

"So, you didn't get murdered, I'm honestly kind of surprised," Sam said blandly.

"Dude, it's perfectly fine, the lady who runs it is really nice."

"By which you mean she's hot," Sam said knowingly as Cas grunted from the backseat.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "That's just a plus. Come on, let's go park. I even got us our own rooms."

Sam perked with interest at that at least and Dean handed him the keys as he drove the Impala around the back of the hotel where the parking lot was.

There were at least twenty other cars parked out there and Dean was actually surprised. That was a lot of people to be traveling this backroad all in one night. He'd expected maybe half that.

They got out, stretching sore muscles, and grabbed their bags before heading back into the hotel.

The woman Dean had talked to before was gone, but a maid in a legitimate maid's uniform was standing there waiting for them with a smile.

"Welcome! I'm here to show you to your rooms," she said sweetly.

"Well, thank you," Dean said with a grin as she turned around to lead the way. He glanced over his shoulder at Sam and Cas and waggled his eyebrows. They both gave him a disapproving look.

All their rooms were in the same hall, and Sam and Cas were shown to theirs first. Dean's was on the end and as the maid opened it for him he peeked inside.

"I drew a bath for you," the maid said, motioning inside.

Dean was surprised to find that the room looked like something from a five-star hotel. It was huge, with a full bathroom, huge bed, and mini-bar. On top of which sat a basket with champagne in it.

"Dean, you seriously paid for champagne?" Sam asked accusingly, coming up behind his brother.

"No," Dean replied in defense.

The maid stepped in with a smile. "The champagne is on the house, it's our own label. We give a bottle to all our guests on their first night."

"How thoughtful," Dean said with a smile.

She gave a short curtsey. "Let us know if you need anything else. Have a good night."

"Dude," Dean grinned as he strode over to the bar and grabbed the bottle of champagne. The label had a flower on it, and said _Lotus_ in a fancy script. "This place is awesome."

"Dean, how much did you pay for this?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Not much more than a normal hotel room," Dean said defensively.

"Yeah, maybe not now, but I would watch the honor bar and pay-per-view if I were you," Sam said.

"Something does seem a little odd about all this," Cas admitted.

Dean sighed and popped the cork on the bottle, grabbing three glasses before he poured the bubbling drink into them. "Come on, guys, I'm exhausted. We all are. Let's just enjoy a night in a place that's nicer than the bunker."

Sam glanced up skeptically at the mirrored ceiling. "I don't know about _that_."

"Such a critic," Dean snipped. "Why don't you go take a hot bath, and get some real sleep. You too, Cas, you need to heal up."

The angel touched a hand to his broken ribs that still seemed to be paining him. "Maybe he does have a point, Sam," he admitted.

Dean grinned and handed them both a glass. Sam sighed but accepted his, and snorted as he inspected it. "I never thought I'd see you drink pink champagne, Dean."

"It's on the house," Dean shrugged, then cocked an eyebrow. "And, what can I say? I'm feeling a little festive." He downed the glass and returned it to the bar. "Now, I'm beat. I'm getting in that bath and then getting into bed. You two should do the same."

Sam and Cas left and Dean simply stripped out of his clothes, leaving them on the floor before he slid into the steaming bathtub that was actually big enough for him to fit into. The pain from his injuries and aching muscles eased away as he lay back and closed his eyes.

He could really get used to this.

_~~~~~~~_

_Dean woke to someone_ knocking on his door. He groaned, and turned onto his back, crooking an arm across his eyes.

"What?" he growled.

The door opened. "Dean, you're still asleep?"

Dean peeked out from under his arm to see Cas standing at the foot of his bed. A bed that wasn't his bed. He sat up and looked around at his dim surroundings. Cas crossed the room and yanked back the curtains, letting the light in. Dean groaned and shielded his eyes at the late afternoon sun.

"What the…?"

"You've been sleeping all day," Cas told him.

"We're still at the hotel?" Dean asked, rubbing his eyes, confused. How the hell had he slept that long?

"Yes," Cas replied. "I just woke Sam up."

"Well, what have you been doing all day?" Dean demanded.

Cas shifted slightly, a frown appearing between his brows. "Sleeping. It appears that my wounds took more out of me than I had thought."

"How are you feeling now?" Dean asked, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Better," Cas replied.

Dean grabbed his jeans before he realized they still had blood on them from the hunt. He sighed and went to grab his bag instead, searching for fresh clothes.

"I guess we'll be driving through the night, then," Dean grumbled. "Hey, did they have a restaurant in the hotel? I'm starving, and I have no idea where the next stop is."

"I'll go see," Cas told him, leaving Dean to get dressed and packed.

Dean left his bag on his bed and went to knock on Sam's door.

"Hey, Cas went to see if they have a restaurant here so we can eat before we leave," he told his brother.

Sam still looked hungover from sleep, and his hair was a mess, but he reached for his coat to pull it on. "Sounds good. I'm hungry."

"Well, you're in luck," Cas said as he returned. "I met with the woman who owns the hotel and she says they have a banquet dinner every night."

Dean shot impressed eyebrows to his brother. "Well, this place just gets fancier. Lead the way, Cas."

Cas took them through the hotel and out to a courtyard that Dean hadn't even noticed the previous night.

All three of them stopped and stared at the scene before them.

It was almost surreal. A long banquet table sat in the middle of the courtyard, under strings of lights and lanterns, dancing in the soft evening breeze. Musicians sat to one side, playing soft music as people gathered around the table, likely other occupants, all of them dressed up.

Dean glanced down at his flannel shirt and canvas jacket. "I suddenly feel underdressed."

All thoughts of anything left his mind however, as a figure swept through the doors and into the courtyard.

Everyone turned to look at her, and a smile broke out on her face. It was the woman who had checked Dean into the hotel the night before, but somehow, she was even more gorgeous in the dying sunlight. Her long dark hair was draped over one shoulder, and she wore a maroon dress that brushed the cobbled stones. Dean's mouth went dry as she turned and stared directly at him, her red lips curving upward in pleasure.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, motioning to them. "May I introduce you to our new guests? This is Dean and Sam Winchester and their friend, Castiel."

The three hunters glanced at each other with frowns as she said their names but again, Dean was kept from thinking too much of it because the woman had come over to them, and she was so entrancing, he couldn't think of much else.

"I am so glad you could make it to dinner. I hope your stay has been nice so far."

"Yeah, it's been great," Dean said. "I haven't slept that long in a while." He frowned then. "You know, I realize I never got your name?"

She pressed a hand to her breast, embarrassed. "Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? I am Ariadne."

"Ariadne," Dean smiled and leaned over to take her hand and kissed it, causing Sam and Cas to roll their eyes. "That's a beautiful name."

She blushed and covered her mouth with her hand. "Please, Mr. Winchester, you are too kind. But come, dinner is being served."

And it was. Servers appeared seemingly out of nowhere and began bringing trays over to the table, along with more bottles of that pink champagne.

The Winchesters and Castiel claimed three seats together, and Sam leaned toward the others, speaking quietly. "Does anyone think it was weird that she knew our names?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "I wrote us into the guestbook last night when I checked in."

"Our real names?" Sam demanded.

"Stop being so paranoid," Dean told him and smiled up at a server who had poured him a glass of champagne.

"I'm just surprised, is all," Sam said. "You're usually more careful than that."

"It's fine, Sammy, we're out in the middle of nowhere. No one will have heard of us here. Don't worry. We're leaving tonight anyway."

One of the other guests glanced over at them with a confused look on her face as Dean said that and he furrowed his brow slightly. But a clinking of a fork on glass brought his attention to where Ariadne was sitting at the head of the table.

"A toast to all of us," she said, and everyone drank. She smiled. "Now eat!"

Everyone ate, and even Sam seemed to forget his worry for the moment, hungrily putting food on his plate. Even Cas tried some of it.

It was all incredibly good, every dish seemingly perfect. Dean began to get caught up in the chat among the other guests, and as the dinner wound down, and more and more champagne was drunk as the sun sank in the sky, the musicians began to play different tunes and some of the couples at the table got up to dance.

Dean was startled by a voice coming from over his shoulder.

"Do you dance, Dean?"

He looked up to see Ariadne standing over him with a questioning eyebrow raised.

"Oh, uh, I'm not really that good," he tried to protest.

"Nonsense! I am sure you are just being modest," she said and held out her hand. "Dance with me."

It was more of a command than anything and Dean found himself unable to refuse. Maybe the champagne had gone to his head. He rose, and took her hand.

"Dean, aren't we leaving?" Cas asked with a confused frown. "It's almost dark."

"One dance won't hurt anything," Dean said as Ariadne was already pulling him into the open area where the other couples were swirling around. He wasn't exactly a good dancer, but he found that with Ariadne, it wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be.

He was surprised to see Sam dancing with a blond not too far away. Only Cas was standing on the sidelines, arms crossed, a confused look on his face. Dean ignored him. The angel could sulk if he wanted to, but Dean was planning on having fun.

He didn't know how many dances there were, or how many more glasses of champagne he drank, but he was feeling giddy by the time he finally let Ariadne go, and the guests were beginning to disperse. The moon was high in the sky. Dean and Sam returned to Cas, both with smiles on their faces.

"Now that you've had your fun, can we leave?" Cas asked them.

Dean furrowed his brow. "Leave? Dude, it looks like it's nearly midnight and I'm too drunk to drive. Let's stay here one more night and leave in the morning."

The angel opened his mouth to protest, looking to Sam to share in his reasoning, but both brothers walked past him back into the hotel.

Dean fumbled for his key, but a hand caught his and a body pressed close.

"You don't need that," Ariadne whispered in his ear, her voice a summons that again, he couldn't deny. "Come with me."

Dean peeled away with a grin and Sam just waved him on as Cas gave him a sour look.

Not that he cared. This night was just getting better and better.

_~~~~~~~_

_Castiel was certain_ something was wrong.

He didn't know what, but he was going to find out. Since he was recovered and didn't need to sleep through the night again, and the Winchesters were insisting on staying another night, he decided to do some investigating of his own.

He met a couple of the other guests wandering back to their rooms for the night, but they mostly ignored him. Something seemed off about them too, though, again, he wasn't really sure what it was. That seemed to be the theme of this whole place.

He searched around the hotel itself, but found nothing really out of the ordinary. There were several locked offices, but when he used his powers to unlock them, he saw nothing strange in there either, and he didn't think he would find the answers he was looking for among the paperwork.

After he had searched the hotel, he went out to the parking lot, and looked again at the number of cars there. It was strange, he thought. There had been about fifteen guests at the banquet, the three of them included, and some of them had definitely been couples who had likely come together. There were over twenty cars in the lot. Something didn't add up about that.

Of course, some of them could also belong to the staff—there certainly seemed to be no end of them.

But as Castiel inspected the cars further, he saw that they had license plates from all over the country. Surely, the staff wouldn't come from out of state to work here, and considering the high-end nature of the place, they probably didn't park with the guests anyway.

Again, Castiel considered the remote location of the hotel. Everything about it seemed off somehow. Even if all of these guests were travelers, it seemed unlikely that so many people from all over the country would be driving on this road within the span of a couple days' time. And some of the cars, Castiel realized as he continued inspecting them, were covered in a layer of dust from the desert, looking like they had been there for a couple weeks at least, maybe longer.

Shaking his head with growing worry gnawing at him, he walked around the hotel toward the back where he could see the walled-in courtyard. It looked like there was a garden butting up to it, and, curious, Castiel went to look at it.

It was a vineyard, not a garden, and he remembered the maid saying that they made the champagne there at the hotel. But in addition to the grapevines, there was also a large section of the vineyard that housed a greenhouse.

Castiel crossed over to it and opened the door, feeling the warm, humid air hit him as he stepped inside.

It was filled with white lotus flowers, so many of them that their scent was heady in the air. Castiel carefully reached out and plucked one, turning it over to inspect it.

"What are you doing in here?"

He spun around to see a woman wearing an apron standing behind him, a dark scowl on her face.

"I…I just got lost, sorry," Castiel tried and was surprised when the woman reached out and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him out of the greenhouse.

"Guests aren't allowed here. You need to go back to your room," she said in no uncertain terms.

Confused by her reaction, especially since all the other staff had been painfully nice up to this point, Castiel simply nodded and obeyed, leaving the vineyard as he tucked the lotus flower he had plucked into his pocket. That was definitely odd. But as long as they left in the morning, he wasn't going to think more on it.

He headed back to his room for the night, still puzzling over this strange hotel.

_~~~~~~~_

_Dean woke, completely_ disoriented and feeling slightly woozy. He groaned, reaching up to rub his eyes, when a hand pressed itself to his chest, and soft lips covered his.

"Mm," he murmured, wrapping his arms instinctively around the warm, shapely body lying next to his. The faint floral scent caught in his nose, and it brought back flashes of dancing with Ariadne that night in the courtyard.

He rolled so she was under him and he pulled back so he could see her…

Luminescent violet eyes stared up at him from the darkness.

Dean pulled away with a strangled cry and scrambled off the bed, falling over the side in a tangle of satin sheets, reaching for anything he could use as a weapon.

"What are you?" he demanded.

There was no reply. His hunter's instinct was pounding through him and he scrambled to his feet, lunging for the door.

He skidded to a halt as he found Ariadne already standing there, having somehow gotten there before him. His breath caught in his throat as she stood there, straight and strong, like something otherworldly, a hint of the glow in her eyes again, before something shifted and a concerned look crossed her face.

"What is wrong, Dean?" she asked.

His mouth was dry and he was breathing heavily. "You. Your eyes… You're not human, are you?"

"I have no idea what you mean," she said, advancing on him.

Dean took a step back and his knees hit the bed. She was in his face, cupping his chin in her hand as she stroked her other over his chest, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "You don't need to leave, Dean. Everything is okay." She traced his lips with a finger and slid something inside his mouth that tasted familiar, and yet like nothing he had ever had before. "It was all just a dream. You never need to leave this place again."

His eyes grew heavy, and he found himself sinking back onto the bed, unable to help himself under her gentle caresses and the taste on his tongue.

"You belong here now," was the last thing he heard her say before he succumbed.

When he woke in the morning, he didn't remember anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by dmsilvisart

Dean woke to a feeling of peace he hadn't experienced for a long time. His body felt relaxed and he felt like he had gotten yet another good night's sleep. A rarity for him indeed.

He glanced at the clock and saw it was almost ten a.m. He yawned, not caring.

He sat up and slid out of bed. Ariadne was long gone, probably to work. He grinned at the thought of the night before. He could barely remember it, which meant it must have been pretty good.

He threw his clothes on and headed back to his room.

Cas was sitting at the table there when he opened the door; a dark scowl was on the angel's face.

Dean stopped and snorted. "Hey, mom, sorry I was out late."

"Dean, you said we were leaving in the morning," Cas told him firmly. "You never get up this late."

"I did?" Dean asked, confused. "Why the hell would I say that?"

Cas cocked his head, a confused look on his own face. "What do you mean? You were drunk last night, you said you couldn't drive and that we would leave in the morning instead."

Dean laughed and reached out to clap Cas on the shoulder. "That's a good one. Come on, man. This place is great! I thought we'd just stay here for a while."

Cas was on his feet, looking alarmed. "You thought _what_?"

Dean held out his hands, wondering why the angel was acting so strange. "Dude, what's your problem? I mean, you don't have to stay if you don't want to, but…"

Cas still stared at him like he had two heads. "Dean, how can you not see that something is very wrong here? And I think it has something to do with this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crushed white flower.

Dean took it. "Yeah…thanks, buddy, but it's not really my color."

"Dean, be serious," Cas snapped. "This is a lotus, which is what is on that champagne label. They have a whole greenhouse full of them out behind the hotel. I think they make people confused, that they're addictive or something. People don't want to leave this place. And really, you can't think any of this is normal. This four-star hotel just happening to appear out here in the middle of nowhere with so many people staying here all at once."

"I don't know, Cas, I think this place is just a nice place to relax, and we could certainly use that. You just need to learn how to let loose a little." He grinned, slapping Cas in the shoulder with the back of his hand. "How about you chat up one of the single ladies here, huh? Bet you could get some action."

Cas gave him an exasperated look, shaking his head. "I know you can't tell that you're under the influence of whatever is going on here, but as soon as I figure it out, I'm going to fix this."

He turned around and walked out and Dean snorted. "Fine, whatever. Be that way. Hey, is there breakfast?"

But Cas was already gone.

Dean shrugged and grabbed the phone to call in room service. He was starving, and he also really had a hankering for more of that pink champagne.

_~~~~~~~_

_Castiel hurried to find Sam_ who had gone down to the dining room where there was still a breakfast buffet set up, even though it was getting to be late morning.

He found Sam sitting at one table with the blonde he had been dancing with the night before, laughing at something she was saying. Castiel strode over, furious that even the younger Winchester seemed to have taken leave of his senses over this.

"Sam," he said as he reached the table and his friend looked up, brow furrowing in confusion at Castiel's expression.

"Cas, hey, something wrong?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I don't know, how about the fact that you and your brother have both gone completely insane?" Castiel asked in exasperation.

Sam huffed a laugh. "Cas, what the hell are you talking about? Why don't you just sit down and have some breakfast."

"I don't eat," Castiel snapped. He turned to the woman and asked. "How long have you been here?"

She looked surprised. "Oh, um…I don't really know. Maybe a couple weeks?"

Castiel turned back to Sam. "You don't think that's strange?"

Sam shrugged. "Not really. I mean, this place is pretty great, isn't it?" He reached over to grab his glass. "And this pink champagne is like nothing I've ever tasted. Come on, Cas, at least let me get you a glass of this."

Castiel knocked the glass out of Sam's hand, and both the younger Winchester and the woman both gasped as it spilled across the table.

"Stop drinking that stuff!" Castiel snapped. "That's what is messing with your heads, I'm sure of it!"

"Is everything all right over here?"

A server had come over, his expression suspicious as he looked at Castiel.

"Yes," Sam said at the same time Cas said a firm "No."

"Just an accident," Sam said. "Could I have more champagne?"

Castiel looked at him with his mouth open, and shook his head before turning back to the server and grabbing him by the arm. "Where is Ariadne? I want to speak with her."

The server glanced at Sam again, then snapped his fingers and another server brought over fresh glasses of champagne on a tray. Castiel noticed that several of the servers were carrying them around the room, replenishing people with full glasses when theirs ran out.

"I'll take you to her," the man said, motioning for Castiel to follow him.

The angel did so. It might be foolish to go alone, especially since he really had no idea what he was dealing with, but it wasn't like Sam and Dean were likely to help him out as backup right now. Not when their heads were scrambled like they currently were.

He was brought to one of the back offices he had seen in his exploration the night before and the server knocked on the door before opening it.

Castiel stepped inside with the man at his back, seeing Ariadne speaking with another woman as she sat behind the desk. A vase of lotus flowers sat at her elbow, lightly scenting the room.

She looked up as Castiel entered, seeming not at all surprised to see him.

"Why, hello—Castiel, isn't it?"

"Yes," the angel replied and took a step closer. "What exactly are you doing here? What have you done to my friends? To all of these people?"

Ariadne stood up, slowly moving around the desk until she stood right in front of him, reaching out to straighten Castiel's tie as he stood still, wary. Then she leaned in close and to his disgust, licked a stripe up his face.

"I knew you weren't human," she said as she pulled back, her eyes narrowing. "That's why the lotus flowers don't work on you."

Castiel reached out and grabbed her by the arms, not liking how little concern she seemed to be showing. "What are you?"

She smirked. "I'm not human either, angel. Not really. And in your currently weakened state, I think I'm a bit stronger than you."

Before he could react, she slammed a hand into his still healing ribs and Castiel flew across the office, crashing into a set of filing cabinets. He rolled onto his elbows, reaching for his angel blade in his coat, but the server and the other woman were already on him, one of them holding their own angel blade. Castiel didn't even want to think of how they had gotten a hold of one.

"Careful," Ariadne said. "Don't damage him too much. No point in spilling his blood before it's time."

"Time for what?" Castiel demanded as he was roughly hauled to his feet by the man, and his blade was taken from him and pressed to his throat by Ariadne.

The woman only smiled at his question and traced his blade down Castiel's jugular. "You'll see soon enough. In the meantime, I just need you out of the way."

She raised the blade and slammed the hilt into the side of his head. Stars burst before Castiel's eyes and he saw nothing but darkness.

_~~~~~~~_

_When Castiel woke,_ it was dark, but not so much that he couldn't see his surroundings.

There was still some light filtering through a skylight from above. Even without that, he could tell he was in a bad spot.

He thought he might be somewhere underground, a cellar or something, because it was cool and earthy, but as if that wasn't bad enough, he was lying on his back on a hard, stone surface, wrists and ankles chained so that he was spread-eagled. The chains were also etched in Enochian sigils, making sure he couldn't break them. He yanked at them for several minutes, seeing if he could find any weaknesses but it was pointless, and he collapsed back against the table with a grunt.

This was bad. He had no idea what was in store for him, but he knew it wouldn't be anything good, and what would happen to Sam and Dean if he was killed, and all those other people, for that matter?

He looked around again and saw that on the floor around him there was some kind of pattern. He could only see part of it in the light but he would hazard a guess that it was in the shape of a lotus flower.

Castiel thunked his head back onto the table, staring up at the skylight that showed the sun. He really hoped Sam and Dean came to their senses soon, because if they didn't they were all likely to be dead before long.

_~~~~~~~_

_Dean wandered around the hotel_ , a funny feeling in the back of his mind like there was something he was supposed to remember. He'd tried to find Ariadne but she was nowhere to be seen so now he was looking for Sam and Cas. The angel had definitely been acting weird that morning—well, more than his normal weird anyway. Dean just couldn't remember exactly what he had been so worked up about. Maybe Sam would know.

He found his brother sitting in the lounge, with the blond from the night before. She was pressed up against him, whispering in his ear as she clutched a glass of the pink champagne.

Dean smirked as he sauntered up, clearing his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but would you mind if I borrowed my brother for a moment?" he asked.

The woman pouted, but Sam patted her knee and stood. "I'll only be a minute," he said.

"What?" he asked Dean, slightly irritated, as they moved over to one side of the room.

Dean shrugged. "Nothing really, I just…was there something going on today that I forgot or something?"

Sam frowned, his brow furrowing. "Um…not that I can think of, why?"

Dean shrugged again. "I don't know, I just feel like there's something I should remember. Cas was trying to tell me something earlier and I don't really remember anything about it."

"Huh," Sam said, and looked around as if the angel might be in the room. "Actually, I haven't seen him for a while. Maybe we should go see where he is."

Dean smirked. "Hopefully with a girl. Cas really needs to get some."

"Come on, Dean," Sam huffed.

"What? It would do him good."

Sam just shook his head and the two of them went off to see if they could track down the angel.

They scoured the hotel but saw no sign of Cas anywhere.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" Sam asked.

They found themselves in the courtyard, which didn't look half as impressive in the middle of the day as it had the night before. But that might also have been because Ariadne wasn't there. Dean just couldn't seem to get her out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. He wished he could remember more about last night. He was sure it was great.

"Look, man, I don't know," Dean said, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, where else could he go besides out in the desert?"

He strode to the back of the courtyard and glanced up at the wall that surrounded it. "Hey, give me a boost," he said to Sam.

Sam huffed, but came over and cupped his hands as Dean stepped into them and grabbed the top of the wall, hauling himself up and over.

"Huh," he said as he sat on the wall. "Look at this! They have their own vineyard out here."

Sam jumped and scrambled up beside him. "Must be how they make all that champagne."

Dean looked around, seeing if the angel might be out for a walk or something when he spotted something glinting at one end of the vineyard. "Hey look, some sort of greenhouse." He blinked with a frown. "Cas said something about a greenhouse earlier. Maybe that's where he is."

The brothers jumped off the wall and started toward the glass structure, opening it up and instantly getting hit with the heavy floral scent.

Dean inhaled sharply, recognizing it as the same scent that always accompanied Ariadne. He reached out to touch one of the white flowers.

"These are the same flowers that are on the champagne bottles," he commented and remembered the one Cas had shown him earlier. "Cas brought one to me."

"He brought you a flower?" Sam asked skeptically.

Dean shot him a look. "He wanted to show it to me for some reason. Why the hell can't I remember anything?"

Sam shook his head. "Something really weird is going on here. I can't remember anything either, and I don't know why. Cas was trying to tell me something this morning too. Something to do with the champagne." He reached out and plucked one of the flowers. "You know, there's something about the lotus…I've been trying to remember what it was since I saw it on the champagne label."

"I think maybe it's time to do a little research," Dean said as they left the greenhouse and headed back inside the hotel. "I think you might have been right all along. There is something strange going on here."

They went to Sam's room where he brought his laptop out and set it on the table, doing a search for lotus flowers as Dean flipped through their father's journal.

It was a while before they found anything but finally Sam gave a short exclamation and reached across the table, swatting Dean.

"Dude, check it out, I knew there was something weird about lotus flowers."

Dean pulled the laptop over to him and saw the article Sam had been reading. He raised his eyebrow. "The Odyssey?"

"Keep reading," Sam urged.

Dean scanned the article, and his eyes grew wide. "Wait…I know this story. It was part of Odysseus's journey, right?"

Sam gave him a surprised look. "Uh, yeah, that's right."

Dean shot him a look. "Come on, I read. But yeah, this was the part where they ended up on that island and Odysseus's crew started eating the lotus flowers like the island dwellers."

"The lotus eaters," Sam commented.

"And it was like some kind of drug, they didn't want to leave and forgot why they were even going home…" He trailed off, yanking his phone out of his pocket. "Sammy, when did we finish that hunt?"

Sam glanced at his own phone. "At least two days ago? Maybe three?"

"Wednesday," Dean muttered as he looked at his calendar. "You think this has something to do with the story from the Odyssey?"

"Yeah, I mean, I don't really see any other reason for it," Sam said. "All those flowers just randomly growing in a hothouse outside some random hotel? And the champagne, it must have the lotus in it, making everyone who drinks it forget why they ever wanted to leave this place."

"That's what Cas was trying to tell us," Dean said, feeling the fog lift from his brain a little more. "So this place is literally like the Hotel California."

Sam pressed his lips together. "Yeah, that's actually not too far off." He stood up. "But we need to find Cas. He probably wasn't affected by the champagne since he's an angel, but that means he could be in danger. We don't know how far these people are willing to go to keep their secret."

Dean blinked as an image flashed through his head. Florescent purple eyes…

He closed his eyes and rubbed them, shaking his head. "Yeah, we need to find him now and get out of here as quickly as possible. I think something really bad is going on here."

"Well, if that's the case, we can't just leave, Dean," Sam said. "It's our job. If we just leave, a lot of other people could get caught here. Die. I wonder how many missing persons are somewhere in this hotel right now?"

It was a sobering thought, and of course Sam was right.

"I just don't know how reliable we are right now, I mean, my head still feels kind of screwy," Dean said.

Sam went back to his bag and dug out his pistol and an angel blade. "We don't have a choice. If Cas went looking for answers someone might have tried to stop him."

"Ariadne?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam replied grimly as he checked his clip and tucked the gun into the back of his jeans. "They could all just be human—there was no indication in the original story that the lotus eaters were anything but."

The memory of florescent eyes and the smell of lotus flowers flashed through Dean's mind again. "Yeah, something tells me we're not going to be that lucky."

Sam frowned at him. "Dean, did Ariadne do something to you last night?"

"I don't know," Dean replied honestly. "I really don't remember much. That's what worries me."

"Well, we need to figure this out now," Sam said. "Something tells me we won't be allowed to skip dinner. Just don't drink any more of the champagne."

Dean already craved more of it, but he swallowed that feeling down. They needed to keep their heads clear if they were going to get out of this alive. He nodded. "Let's go find Cas."

They had already decided to find Ariadne first, but even that proved to be harder than expected. The strange woman was nowhere to be found, and no matter how many of the staff they asked, no one seemed to have a good answer. Dean began to suspect that they were consistently being sent upon a wild goose chase, which made him wonder what the hell Ariadne was doing, really hoping it didn't have anything to do with Cas' disappearance.

The longer they looked for their friend the more anxious Dean became. Whatever was going on at this hotel, and whoever was running it, Ariadne or otherwise, they had to be strong enough to at least subdue an angel, considering Cas' disappearance, which disturbed Dean.

"We've looked everywhere. Twice," Sam finally admitted as they returned to their rooms, again checking to make sure Cas hadn't come back looking for them.

"I don't know what else to do, honestly," Dean said, feeling helpless as he ran a hand over his face. He noticed their rooms had been cleaned while they were gone, and a new bottle of champagne placed on the bar. With a rush of fury, Dean strode over and lashed out, knocking the bottle to the floor, bucket of ice and all. The bottle shattered and ice skittered under the bed. The fizz of the champagne and the light scent of lotus flowers made him woozy and he quickly turned back around.

"Cas is in trouble, and I'm prepared to tear this place up. If no one is going to talk, I'm gonna start bringing the staff in here and making them."

A bell rang, and Dean and Sam frowned until Dean recognized it, glancing at his brother. "Dinner."

"Ariadne will definitely be there," Sam said.

Dean nodded. "Let's go."

They joined the other guests in the courtyard, and the scene was much the same as the night before. The setting sun cast a beautiful picture across the cobblestones, the musicians played quietly and the scent of food wafted through the air, making Dean's stomach growl despite himself. After all, he hadn't eaten since breakfast. On the other hand, his head was completely clear again, not having drunk any of the champagne since then either.

Now they just had to avoid drinking any during dinner.

As they suspected, Ariadne appeared once all the guests had sat down. This time, she was wearing a white, flowing dress that looked almost Grecian in style. Dean almost snorted at the irony. He wondered if she was some ancient being. Funny, that was usually Sam's luck with chicks, picking the monsters. Dean supposed it was his turn.

She smiled at all the table's occupants. "Please, sit and eat. Tonight is a special night." Her eyes lingered on Sam and Dean for a moment too long and Dean gulped, sharing a look with Sam. Something was wrong and likely whatever it was was going to go down soon. Dean's hand edged toward the angel blade he had tucked into his coat.

None of the other guests seemed concerned, in fact, they seemed to have picked up Ariadne's spirit of enthusiasm and celebration. Maybe Sam and Dean would have too if they'd been doped up on the lotus flowers. They tried not to stick out too much, but Dean's stomach was knotted now and he was no longer really hungry.

The servers came around with their trays of pink champagne and set them in front of all the guests. Dean eyed his warily, his mouth practically watering as he watched the bubbles drift to the top of the glass. He swallowed hard.

Once all the guests were served, Ariadne stood and raised her glass. "A toast," she said. "To renewal."

Dean and Sam glanced at each other with confusion.

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean murmured as they took their glasses up and mimed drinking without swallowing any of the champagne.

"I have no idea," Sam replied.

That out of the way, they were safe for a little bit at least, until everyone noticed they weren't drinking the champagne. Dean wondered if he could dump some out without anyone noticing. There was a vase not far from him with lotus flowers in it. Maybe he could pour some in there when he was sure no one, especially Ariadne, was looking.

"We need to get out of here," Dean muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Sam grunted in agreement, turning to his food.

Dean turned to his own plate, picking up his knife and fork, prodding the thick slab of roast beef. A brief thought went through him that it wasn't beef, but he dismissed that quickly. It was pork that was supposed to resemble human, and really, he hadn't seen anything to indicate cannibalism here. Thank goodness. At least they had that going for them here in this bizarre Hotel California situation.

He cut off a small bite of the meat and chewed for a long time. It was delicious and instantly brought his hunger back. He took another bite before he started to feel strange.

His fork moved more slowly and he placed it on the side of his plate as his vision started to blur.

Dean reached out and grabbed Sam's arm, stopping his fork from going to his mouth.

"Don't," he said.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

Dean swallowed down the woozy feeling, blinking heavily. "I think it's drugged."

Sam glanced at the bite on his fork and put it down, swallowing hard and blinking himself.

"You ate something?"

"Yeah," Sam replied.

"Son of a bitch," Dean slurred, and grabbed his brother's arm. "We need to leave. Make any excuse."

They slid their chairs back and stood up.

The whole table stopped talking and stared at them. Dean instantly felt Ariadne's eyes boring into him and he thought he saw a brief flash of purple luminescence.

"Where are you going, boys?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Look, it's been fun," Dean told her, trying to keep himself upright, clutching Sam more than he should be if he was going for a casual look. "But we really need to be going so…thanks for the dinner and the room but we're checking out."

"Oh no, you don't understand," Ariadne said, standing slowly. "You don't leave once you come here. And normally people don't want to."

There were murmurs of agreement around the table and Dean and Sam watched the brainwashed guests with annoyance.

"Look, I don't know what kind of cult you're running here, lady," Sam said. "But you can tell us where our friend is, and then let us get the hell out of here. For your own good."

Ariadne's mouth quirked up in a smirk. "Oh, is that so? I don't think you'll be getting very far. I'm actually surprised you're still on your feet."

Dean was too, honestly. He was getting dizzier and dizzier and Sam was leaning on him now too. Desperately, he gave up the bravado, and yanked his brother toward the nearest door.

Two male servers stepped into their path, shoving them backwards and grabbing their arms. Dean fought and lashed out, but he was falling before he knew it, collapsing onto the cobblestones, still warmed from the day's sun.

The last thing he saw was the sweep of white fabric as Ariadne came over to crouch beside him, reaching down to stroke his face.

"You'll see your friend again soon enough. You'll join him."

Dean's eyes were no longer able to stay open and he succumbed to the darkness with a groan.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean woke slowly, feeling like he was surfacing through tar. He groaned, shifting, trying to reach up and grip his aching head, but his hands wouldn't move. They were stuck behind his back and he instantly recognized the terrible sensation of being tied up—one he knew all too well.

"Dean?"

The familiar voice shocked him into full wakefulness and he pried his eyes open, discovering that he was staring into the wide, dilated eyes of his brother.

"S'mmy," he murmured, shifting again, trying to determine his range of movement.

Someone grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him up onto his knees. He realized suddenly that he and Sam were both only in their t-shirts and jeans, even their shoes were gone, meaning so were all their weapons.

Dean swayed, but stayed upright, shifting his shoulders, which were aching due to the position, while Sam was also hauled into an upright position.

"What the hell is this?" Dean demanded.

"You mean you really don't know?" Ariadne's voice came to them from the darkness and they turned to see her stride into the small cell they seemed to be in. Dean wondered if it was part of a cellar they had somehow missed during their search for Cas earlier.

Dean and Sam both glowered at her and she simply smiled.

"You're lotus eaters, aren't you?" Sam asked her. "Like from the Odyssey?"

She smirked and gave him a slow clap. "Very good. I'll be honest, I didn't think even you would figure it out that quickly, especially since I had you under my thumb. But then, you _are_ the Winchesters and you do have a bit of a reputation. If it wasn't for that pesky pet angel of yours, I don't think you would have figured it out at all. Though, it wouldn't really have mattered in the long run. This was planned from the minute I saw you walk in my door."

Dean's stomach dropped. "What the hell did you do to Cas?"

Ariadne shrugged. "Nothing yet. But you'll find out soon enough what we have planned. For all three of you. You showed up at my doorstep at just the most opportune time. It's always so much easier when it doesn't have to be some of my most loyal followers."

Dean growled, getting frustrated by her vagueness, and tugged at his bonds. "Would you just tell us what the hell is going on already?"

Ariadne smiled and it wasn't a nice look. "See for yourself." She snapped her fingers at the two men standing to one side of the room. "Bring them. It's almost time for the ceremony to begin."

Ceremony? Yeah, that was never a good thing.

The men hauled Sam and Dean upright and dragged them out of the small cell into a larger room, in the shape of a circle.

Torches lit the space all around the walls, and interspersed with the flames, dressed in white robes, were all the guests from the hotel.

Dean wasn't paying attention to them though, because he was focused on what was in the center of the room.

In the floor there was a large carving of a lotus flower, and in the middle of that stood a stone table.

On the table was Cas, chained spread-eagled, with a gag shoved into his mouth. His eyes widened as he saw the Winchesters getting dragged into the room, but he seemed unhurt at least. For the moment, anyway.

"Cas!" Dean shouted, tugging at the grip the guard had on him, but the man simply kicked him in the knee and Dean collapsed, still weak from the drug.

Ariadne walked over to the head of the table, placing her hands on either side of Cas' head as the angel grunted and glowered up at her, tugging at his chains.

"My dear friends," she said. "It's time again, to perform the task passed down to us by our ancestors. To assure that our beloved lotus blossoms continue to bloom for another year, a sacrifice must be made." One of her followers brought her a jeweled knife and she held it up, hands spread. "They must be fed with blood, and this year they will be particularly proficient as we have an angel upon the altar, and two other sacrifices as well."

Dean's mouth went dry, horror clutching at his throat as he struggled against the man's grip. "You bitch! We have nothing to do with this! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Ariadne smiled and reached down to rip Cas' shirt open, cutting down the sleeves to expose his upper body and arms. The angel growled and flinched as the point of the dagger touched the center of his chest and traced across his skin. "The secret of the lotus blooms has been passed down in my family for generations. They are not normal flowers. Those who partake of them not only feel incredible bliss, but see a longevity of life. Consume them long enough, you become almost…superhuman. A power made possible by the blood shed to feed them."

She flicked out with the dagger, and the blade shone in the firelight as it slashed across Cas' left forearm, cutting deep. Cas gasped and flinched before Ariadne moved around the table to the other side where she slashed open his other arm as well.

"Cas!" Dean and Sam exclaimed.

Blood began to flow from the wounds, collecting in channels on the table and spilling down off the sides to the floor where it collected in the carving of a lotus, spreading through the grooves. Dean was horrified to see shimmering flashes of grace mixed with Cas' blood. The angel couldn't afford to lose any more!

"If only you had decided to join on," Ariadne said, stopping in her bloodletting practices for a bit as she halted in front of Dean, reaching out to stroke his face, tipping it up. "I would have liked to keep you in my fold for a little longer—or eternity if you proved to be no trouble."

Dean grunted and pulled away in disgust. "Thanks, but I don't really date chicks that are that much older than me."

She smiled, and turned to the man holding Dean on his knees, nodding as she handed him the dagger. "Regrettably, I must be rid of you and your brother. You two are more trouble than you're worth and two virile specimens such as yourselves will make for an extremely potent harvest this next year."

She stepped away, and Dean felt the man's hand in the center of his back, shoving his face toward the lotus design on the floor.

"Easy buddy," he snapped before the dagger, still coated with Cas' blood, pricked his throat. He froze.

"Dean!" Sam shouted and Dean glanced up and saw him struggling. "Don't do this!"

Sam was subdued with a knee to the head and Cas could only struggle weakly as more blood and grace seeped from him.

The man grabbed the back of Dean's head by his hair, and he felt the dagger slice into his neck, but just as the first drop of blood slid down his skin, he brought his bound hands up as far as they could go, striking the bent over man in the groin.

He let out an _oomph_ and staggered as Dean slammed his head backwards and drove his shoulder into the man's gut.

The dagger fell from his grasp and Dean landed on his side, grasping the blade in one hand as he fought to saw his ropes apart.

"Get him!" Ariadne shrieked.

More of her men poured in, but Dean had gotten his hands free with a snap of ropes, and Sam was holding his own as well. Cas still struggled, but Dean could do nothing about that right now. He kicked an attacker in the knee, hearing a pop, and dove towards Sam, slicing his bonds apart with the dagger.

"Thanks," his brother gasped as he grabbed a torch off the wall and used that like a baseball bat to slam into one of the attackers. The Winchesters took up position on either side of Cas, keeping him protected as they fought off the weird lotus eating cultists.

"Bring them down!" Ariadne demanded, practically shrieking in anger. "Don't worry about killing them! Their blood will do just as well, no matter how it's spilt." Her eyes were definitely glowing purple, Dean wasn't imagining it this time. She also had an angel blade—probably Cas'—in her hand as she rushed toward them.

Sam caught her as she leapt at him with a shriek of rage and dropped his torch. The blade sliced him across the arm and Sam grunted.

"Sammy!" Dean cried, only to receive an unlit torch in the ribs. He folded, pain arching through his body as he fought for breath. The torch slammed across his shoulders, bringing him fully down and forcing him to hit his head against the stone table.

He saw stars and raised his arm, hoping to ward off the next blow as blood seeped into his eye.

The man holding the torch growled and lifted it above his head, readying the killing blow.

Dean dodged at the last minute and the torch struck Cas' manacles instead.

Dean didn't get time to catch his breath before another blow was leveled at him.

But it never landed. Dean looked up to see Cas, one hand free, grabbing the torch in a shaking fist, before slamming it back into the attacker's face. The cultist collapsed backwards and Cas threw the torch down, yanking the gag from his mouth.

"Dean, are you all right?" he croaked.

Dean dragged himself to his feet. "Yeah," he grunted, seeing Sam still facing off with Ariadne.

His brother had gained several more injuries. Ariadne might lack skill, but she made up for it in pure determination as she lashed out with blow after blow of the angel blade. Dean took out another attacker and hurried around the table. Ariadne slammed the pommel of the angel blade into Sam's jaw, sending him collapsing to the floor, and then spun to face Dean, a snarl on her face.

"You will all pay for this!" she snarled.

"You never should have let us stay here," Dean told her firmly as he dodged a blow of the angel blade. Ariadne, furious, lashed out again, but left herself wide open. Dean stepped toward her and caught her blade arm under his, trapping it against his side as he buried the dagger into her stomach. She gasped, eyes wide.

"I wouldn't have had to do this, but you left me no choice," Dean told her quietly as he pulled the dagger free and helped her to the ground where she collapsed, lolling, as her blood flowed into the grooves of the lotus flower, completing the pattern in red. Dean picked up Cas' blade and turned around.

"All of you get out of here," he snapped at the people. "She can't have a hold on you anymore. You should all go back home."

There was some general milling around, before Dean gripped both blades and shouted. "Out! Now! I won't tell you again!"

The cultists and hotel staff filed out quickly and Dean turned to Sam who was working on getting the rest of Cas' manacles open.

The angel was pale and shivering, and Dean grabbed the remains of his shirt and tore it up to wrap around his sliced wrists, pressing hard and helping him to sit up as Sam got his other hand free and started working on his ankles.

"You good?" Dean asked the angel.

Cas gave him a long-suffering look. "I'm glad you're both acting like yourselves again. I was afraid she had really gotten you under her control."

Dean shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I'm not that easy to manipulate when I really think about it."

Sam snorted and Dean shot him a glower as he finished releasing Cas and Dean helped him swing his legs over the side of the table and stand. Cas nearly collapsed and Sam came in to steady his other side.

"Come on, let's get the hell out of here," Dean said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna be really glad to see the back of this place."

"Yeah, so am I," Sam said as they staggered out. "Hey, Dean? Next time we see some random hotel in the middle of nowhere—let's not stay the night, okay?"

Dean huffed a wry laugh. "Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with you there, little brother."

_~~~~~~~_

_First things first, though_ , Dean went to grab lighter fluid and gasoline from the Impala and they headed out to the greenhouse behind the hotel.

They took the gasoline and poured it all over the white flowers, then Dean took his lighter, flicked it until the spark lit the flame, and then tossed it into the glass hothouse.

The three stood back, watching the flowers shrivel and burn through the smoked-up glass. Eventually, one panel cracked from the heat and the smoke emerged, black, and strangely scented by the burning flowers like a type of incense. The smell almost turned Dean's stomach. He'd had quite enough of the scent of lotuses.

"Good riddance," Sam muttered.

They stayed until the fire burned down, then hosed it down, seeing nothing but ash left where the flowers had once been prolifically growing.

They turned back toward the hotel to gather their things and leave.

All three of them were a mess, covered in ash and blood, Cas only dressed in his trench coat and pants since they'd had to use his shirt to bind his cuts. They could all use a rest.

By the time they got back to the hotel and grabbed their bags, heading toward the parking lot, everyone seemed to have disappeared. Neither the staff nor the guests were there anymore. In fact, all the cars were even gone from the parking lot.

The three of them stopped for a moment just to stare. There was nothing but the early morning breeze blowing sand and a couple tumbleweeds across the desert, and the dim glow from the east that foretold the rising dawn.

"You almost have to wonder," Sam mused, "whether any of those people were here at all."

"It's all just too weird for me," Dean muttered, digging for his keys and heading to the Impala. He unlocked the trunk and dropped his bag in with a wince. His already bruised ribs had just been re-injured in the fight with the lotus eaters and he really just wanted to lay down in a bed. "I know it was real because I got the crap beat out of me."

Sam shook his head tiredly. "Yeah. I just want to go home."

They got in the car and Dean gunned it to the next city. They were too exhausted to make the long drive all the way back to Kansas, but they did find a motel to stay in. The typical, crappy kind, that was so overtly sleazy it wasn't bothering to hide anything.

"Home, crappy home," Dean said almost gratefully as they filed into their room and he collapsed onto the nearest bed with a groan before sitting up reluctantly and grabbing his bag. "I'm showering first. Cas, let Sam look at your arms."

"I really am fine, Dean, they're healing," the angel said tiredly, but he'd slumped onto the couch in the room, not bothering to protest when Sam got the first aid kit out.

"Just let him look anyway," Dean said and closed the bathroom door, cranking the shower on hot before he peeled off his smoky-smelling clothes and stepped under the warm stream.

When he got back out to the room, Sam was wrapping fresh gauze around Cas' forearms while they both watched the tv.

"Hey, Dean, check this out," Sam said, nodding to the television which had the news on it.

Dean toweled his hair dry as he turned to look at the screen.

" _We're following a strange story tonight about the sudden reappearance of multiple missing persons who were thought to have disappeared around the same area over the span of the last five years,"_ the reporter was saying. " _Some of them claim to have been a part of a cult during this time, but no real information has come out yet."_

"Huh," Dean said. "Well, I'm glad they came to their senses."

"Yeah," Sam said. "It looks like we inadvertently solved a case."

"After almost becoming victims yourselves," Cas stated wryly.

"Okay," Dean grunted and pulled a chair over to the couch and grabbed the first aid kit to start tending to Sam's injuries. "It's not like it's the only time we've ever fallen under some sort of spell. But for the record, I'm glad it didn't affect you."

"Well, I'm just glad you overcame the effects of the lotus as quickly as you did," Cas said gratefully.

"So am I," Sam replied and winced as Dean cleaned the wound in his arm. "I don't know about you, but I need a week off."

"That sounds great to me," Dean said. "Providing we don't have to save the world in the meantime."

"I think it can manage for a time while you recover," Cas said with a small smile.

Dean smiled, and finished up with Sam before he yawned. "Well, I'm off to bed. Don't stay up too late." He walked over to his bed and collapsed onto it. The mattress was a little lumpy but it felt like heaven.

He certainly didn't miss the pink champagne. He smirked at a sudden thought and raised his head as Sam was crawling into the other bed.

"Hey Sammy."

"What?" his brother asked tiredly.

"We actually got out of the Hotel California."

Sam huffed a laugh and lay down, pulling the covers over him. "Go to bed, Dean."

Dean smirked and lay back down, closing his eyes.

Just another one to mark off the list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! I promise to have more SPN stuff up soon. In the meantime, check out my Tumblr for updates and sneak peeks at my upcoming works. https://lady-wallace.tumblr.com
> 
> Also remember to check out dmsilvisart on Tumblr: https://dmsilvisart.tumblr.com


End file.
